Entries tagged with “youth activities” from Working For Walthamstow
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for allowing me the opportunity to make my maiden speech. I hope to have learned from my experience in local government when making this speech, in that it does not matter what someone says as long as they are brief, because then people will like them. I congratulate everyone who has made their maiden speech this evening, because we have heard wonderful contributions demonstrating real passion for the home territories of hon. Members, and I hope that my speech can do the same.
I wish to start by paying tribute to my predecessor as the MP for Walthamstow, because I know that I have a hard act to follow. In E17, we have a fine tradition of MPs who have embodied the best of my party and the best of our politics, not only in London but nationally. Just like another previous incumbent, Clem Attlee, our MP Neil Gerrard fought tirelessly for the ideals that brought him into political life with independence and with honour. I am reliably told that he is a man who was a Whip's delight, taking up the causes that others often shied away from. He was a tireless advocate for a better and more humane approach to asylum and immigration, for the need to support action on HIV and AIDS, and for prison reform. He has also been a powerful voice for my home of Walthamstow, and I have been honoured to work with him.
Neil and I have campaigned together for many years on local issues that matter to the future of our area and to the community in which we live. We have called on London & Quadrant Housing Trust not to leave our iconic local dog track derelict for six years and instead to name its price so that we can bring it back into use. We have called on the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God not to leave the beautiful EMD cinema derelict and instead to work with the McGuffin Film and Television Society and local residents so that we can have cinema in Walthamstow. We have fought for more investment in our local Whipps Cross hospital and for local school places. We have stood up for human rights in Sri Lanka, Kashmir and Palestine. The Whips may be horrified to learn that Neil has been an inspiration to me, and I promise in this Chamber to follow his good work for the people of Walthamstow.
I know from my work with the people in Walthamstow that we are not a community short on ambition. We put our money where our mouth is, organising and mobilising for a better future for our families, wherever in the world they may be. Whether we are talking about the Senior Citizens Asian group, our local Somali, Anatolian and Tamil communities, the mum and dads in our Sure Start centres in Lloyd Park, Sybourn or Church Hill, our local toy library, or the many local youth projects with which I am proud to work, including the Active Change Foundation, Pak Cultural Society, the X7eaven Dance Group, the Woodcraft Folk or even the Scouts, Walthamstow is full of people with ideas and dreams about what they want to do and with the passion and commitment to each other to work together to achieve it.Indeed, I contend that because Walthamstow has always been full of people like that, our area has played a key and yet too often unacknowledged part in shaping the lives of everyone in this Chamber. I want to try to change that this evening. Hon. Members may not be aware that Walthamstow and the Lea valley were the original base of British aviation and motoring. Our area also has a proud history in the creative industries, which ranges from its being part of the original British film industry and having Turner prize winners as residents, to holding on to William Morris and even the grime music scene. We lay claim to helping put a man on the moon, to England football team greats, through David Beckham, to even the kinder Conservatives, through Disraeli, and to the best of British rock, through Ian Drury and the Rolling Stones. I am proud to share with Keith Richards' grandmother the honour of having served as mayor of Waltham Forest.
Yet for all that we have contributed to this country, we in Walthamstow know that we still live in a world in which too often it is where someone lives, rather than what they are, that defines whether they have the opportunity to realise their potential. I am so proud to represent Walthamstow, and therefore so determined that that situation must change. I know that it is worth our while. If we can unlock the talent of Walthamstow's residents, Britain will benefit even more than it has done already from the creativity of previous generations. That is why I wanted to speak in today's debate and why I want to draw the Government's attention to how their education plans will hinder, not help, young people in places such as Walthamstow.
Following on from what the Secretary of State said, I want to prick the Government's conscience: if they can find the money for marriage, they can find the money for the programmes that actually work for our families. Political leadership is about the ability to think long term. I urge the new Administration to rethink their proposals for child trust funds, and instead to recognise the investment in the future that this scheme represents. For the 8,000 young people in Walthamstow who have one, they offer the kind of opportunity that too many in previous generations have been denied. They are a launch pad for a leap into further and higher education; the start of funding for a down payment on a house; or money to help pay for training or start a business. Do not listen to me; listen to the 30% of poorer families topping up their child trust funds as we speak.
The same could be said of the future jobs fund. For many young people in Walthamstow this has been a lifeline, getting them into employment and on to the first steps of their career ladder. They are not the young people who have the networks and connections that mean that success is assured, but they have grabbed with both hands the start that this scheme offers. I also urge Ministers: if they say they care about social mobility, they should rethink their planned cuts for universities. I can attest that it is in places such as Walthamstow that those kinds of policies, over the past 13 years, have transformed the life chances of young people.
When the previous Government started to increase the number of places available in higher education, Walthamstow's children took the opportunity it represented. In the past 13 years, the numbers of young people from my constituency going to university have rocketed by 87%, and the evidence shows that they are the children from poorer backgrounds. Our young people in Walthamstow do not lack ability. We have the top-performing economics department in the country, at Sir George Monoux college, and we have pupils who have benefitted from the Building Schools for the Future fund, in schools such as Walthamstow School for Girls and Frederick Bremer school, and we are concerned about what will happen if we hang the axe over projects such as the one for Willowfield school in Walthamstow, because we see the difference that such investment makes.
I urge the Government to ensure that they will guarantee the Building Schools for the Future funds that have already been committed. Above all, this programme shows that these things happen not by accident, but by design. The Labour party understands that when we invest in the future of every young person in Britain, wherever they live, we all benefit. That is why I give notice to those on the Government Benches: on behalf of the people of Walthamstow and their families, I intend to fight for every place, every opportunity and every chance that my community wants and deserves; to challenge the Government's proposals that will mean a bleaker, not a brighter, future for them; to use my place in the House to be a voice for those who will be forgotten by the Government's proposals; and to argue that there is not simply opposition to the Government, but an alternative. The potential that we have in Walthamstow to contribute to the future prosperity of this country demands nothing less.
I'm
honoured to have been elected as the new MP for Walthamstow. I
love this area. It's been home to me and my family for over thirteen years. I
want to celebrate what happens here - all the people, activities, events that
make Walthamstow special to us as residents.
I also want to tackle the many challenges we face here -
from community cohesion, to gang crime and child poverty. But I'm determined
that, together with public services, we can and will resolve these. As our MP I
want to support this work, and to be a strong local voice for Walthamstow and
the things that matter to us here. I learnt this not least from working closely
with Neil Gerrard. Neil has been a fantastic MP for Walthamstow for the last
eighteen years, serving the needs of people here from every background and
fighting for our public services. It is a tremendous privilege to follow in his
footsteps.
I don't want to live in a society where a child has to be lucky or privileged to succeed. The kids I work with here in Walthamstow deserve better. And we all benefit when they're given the chances they crave to achieve. I do not seek to address these challenges on my own because if my experience campaigning in this community has taught me one thing, it's this: when we work together, we can achieve more. We can challenge the injustices we see. We can secure the services we need. We can enjoy a better life here together.
I want to say thank you to everyone who has worked with me in
Walthamstow over this last decade for our community - and now as your MP to ask
you for your help with the work we need to do next.
Whilst the implications of the election are considered
at a national level, I want to reassure you that I am focused on working on the local
priorities residents have told me matter to them. That's why in the weeks ahead
my focus will be on helping our local young people to ensure that they are
given opportunities to achieve their potential, working with the Council and
businesses to get our cinema and dog track back and bring jobs and investment to
Walthamstow and continuing to support our vital local healthcare services;
these are just a few of the reasons I stood to be your
MP in Walthamstow and I've already started to work on these issues with
groups and public services within our area. If you would like to be part of these
projects please do get in touch.
There
will of course be a period of practical transition over the next couple of
weeks while we set up a parliamentary and constituency office as well as
redesign the features of this website. During this time if you need my help as
your local MP you can contact me via email stella@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk or
phone on 020 8520 6586. The Working for Walthamstow e-newsletter will also
continue to be distributed each week- so please do get in contact if you would
like to receive this. It details where you will find me out and about in
Walthamstow if you wish to speak to me - and if you have activities you would
like me to include please do get in touch!
Thank you
once again Walthamstow for your mandate- I'm committed to working for a better
future for us all here.
This is the fourth such event I have organised in this series to make sure Walthamstow's residents have a direct opportunity to discuss children and young people's services. Our special guest will be the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and it is the fourth such event we have organised to bring Government ministers directly to Walthamstow to listen to our views on these issues.
This free event will be held on Thursday 25th March between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm at the Queens Road Community Centre, 215 Queens Road, Walthamstow, London E17 8PJ. The evening will be very relaxed with no long speeches and you can drop in anytime during the two hours to take part. It is Walthamstow's chance to meet the man responsible for schools and for policies affecting children and families and to tell him directly what we would like the Government to do for our children. Local teachers, school governors and youth workers are also invited to attend so that they can inform the discussion.
Light refreshments and children's entertainment will be available and the event has kindly been sponsored by our local trade union Unison. The founder of a new local Origami Club, Yoko Mihara Neckles, will be on hand to teach children the Japanese art of paperfolding so do please bring them along for some fun and to give their thoughts as well.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to amy@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk or call 07530 707515 to help us ensure we are able to cater for the numbers of people who wish to participate.
There are currently 10 places left or 14-19 year olds working or studying in Waltham Forest. The course started this week and will run from 4 -7pm for the next 8 weeks. There'll also be some additional workshops scheduled. Anyone who is interested can call Streetlife FM on 020 8520 6515.
Our children our future 2009 andy burnham.pdfI'm pleased to announce that this year the Our Children, Our Future free fun day for families in Walthamstow will take place at Tumble in the Jungle (245 Wood Street) on Thursday 30 April 3.30pm - 5.30pm. Our special guest this year will be Andy Burnham MP, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Along with plenty of activities for children of all ages, there will be the opportunity to have your say on the provision of play facilities and parks in Walthamstow as well as tell the minister first hand what you think would help Britain's young people excel in the fields of culture and sport. Many local voluntary groups will also have stalls there providing information and of course there will be plenty of tea, squash and cake for everyone! Children of all ages and their parents or carers are welcome so I hope to see many of you there. If you have any questions about this event, or would like to run a stall there please do get in touch.
Ahead of Andy Burnham's visit to Walthamstow in two weeks time, I've put together a short on-line survey about provision for young people in Walthamstow. You can fill it in here. I'll be feeding back the results to Andy directly as well as the local authority. If you can't come along on the 30 April personally to take part in the event this is also a great way to have your say on these issues. The survey will be open for responses until the 29 April.
By Stella Creasy
Much as we wish otherwise, the pace of social change can be agonising slow. Consequently in the daily free for all of contemporary politics, it can be hard to talk about how different Britain is since 1997 without sounding like Vicky Pollard. Yeah but I want the minimum wage to be higher too, no but it didn't exist at all ten years ago, yeah but give us credit for introducing it. Yeah but I want prescription charges abolished too, no but under Major there weren't any subsidies at all, yeah but free cancer drugs are a starting point.
A demanding and testing public is the bread and butter of being a PPC and I'm always grateful for the opportunity such debates offer to learn from other people's experiences. And often their concerns are as much an indication of our successes and future challenges as they are criticisms. As a school governor and a voluntary youth worker I regularly field complaints about snags in new buildings or problems claiming tax credits or how to use childcare vouchers and employer contributions. These are parents, teachers and even kids asking questions, making demands - and yes getting angry - about resources that fifteen years ago would have been dismissed as some Swedish oddity, impossible to provide in a British welfare state.
That new parents now take for granted these services is testament to just how much we've achieved. No longer are we arguing for early years programmes we could offer, but instead being pushed on how we should expand and improve something valued and defended by the public themselves. Spend time with people using these facilities and you can see how and why cuts in them would be not only morally unjust, but also electorally suicidal. Yet whilst the Lib Dems and Tories tinker with these services at their peril, our challenge is to defend and to advance the pace of progressive change.
To do this requires us to illustrate how our record in office reflects not only what we're capable of over time but shapes our plan for what is to come next. We may have won the case for public investment in early year's provision, but that was just round one. And the fight only becomes tougher in times of economic uncertainty. We have to show the technicalities of service delivery and the hazards of global markets have not blunted our mission to make Britain a more socially just society - or recognition of the next steps that move us towards that goal.
To end child poverty once and for all our next priority should be to merge the myriad of child benefit and tax credit schemes, and in the process broaden their coverage to lift more families permanently off low incomes. Tackling the persistent inequality facing families in Walthamstow and across the capital means including the cost of living in London in the allowances we give for childcare. In the longer term we have to work towards funding more free nursery places and expanding workplace childcare incentives, as well as helping families use paternity and maternity leave in a way that works for all concerned.
We also have to prove we understand, and can address, the new challenges our policies create. That means acting for the Surestart generation; the kids who have had the start in life the early years provision we have created so far offers. We need to be able to carry this investment on until adulthood by giving every young person the right mix of good schooling, structured activities and emotional and financial support they need to get through their teen years and come out the other side a success. And, as we have done with early years, in a way that means services can be tailored to their individual circumstances - whether using resources within the public, private or voluntary sector.
Learning from our past as we put forward plans for the future doesn't mean pretending the present isn't happening. Investing in supporting children and young people isn't incidental to our economic fortunes, but integral. In a recession these services offer families vital help during times of personal and financial difficulty. Longer term they are the best social insurance scheme we can buy to make sure our future workforce have the skills, confidence and motivation to compete favourably in the global market.
To think in this way doesn't mean we shouldn't take pride in previous successes, but that we should also ask how we learn from them. Had we never won in 1997, Surestart would have remained just a nice idea. It is because of the difference it makes we can move onto developing a "wrap around" offer for youth services. Being in Government has taught us how to turn policy ambition into practical actuality. Being Labour means we look at today's kids with a passion for social justice that doesn't stop with the child tax credit system, but is instead built upon it.
These principles apply whatever the political weather. Whether dealing with climate change, international development or financial regulation, let us focus on responding to and rallying others for the next set of progressive challenges Britain faces, whether of our own making or not. So that yeah, but no but yeah - we really are worth voting for.
I've worked with many different groups locally to support our young people because I believe passionately that we need to ensure every one of them is given the encouragement and opportunity to achieve their potential. I know our current MP Neil Gerrard feels the same. That's why we've organised a workshop for organisations working with our young people to help identify where projects and activities are happening locally - and where they're not.
It's going to be on the Saturday 24 January in the afternoon (venue tbc), the police and representatives of local public services are coming along too and it will be informal so you can drop in for a coffee and cake as well as participate in the discussion. If you are part of a local voluntary group working with young people in Walthamstow and you're interested in attending or finding out more get in touch.
Last week we saw the Queen's speech setting out the legislative agenda for the coming Parliament. Behind the Bills which caught the headlines there were also some less well reported proposals worth noting. For example, I know from my own work with groups in Walthamstow about our need for more facilities for young adults so I was pleased that the Dormant Funds Bill will allow the use of unclaimed assets in bank accounts to support a youth facility in every constituency. It is proposed this will be administered by the Lottery, although it not clear at present whether this would be used as revenue to support outreach work, or for capital investment in buildings and premises. As these issues are resolved, its a piece of legislation and a pot of funding which I'll be watching developments around closely. I'll also be seeking to ensure young adults are involved in designing and deciding how the money is spent.
So too the establishment of the independent regulator for social housing landlords will affect many local residents who are tenants of our local social housing associations. Due to come into force in 2009, the new office will take on the regulatory powers of the Housing Corporation and could also force badly performing associations to hand over the management or ownership of their homes, trigger inspections and issue improvement notices. Having set up several tenants groups working with our local social landlords over my years as a councillor I'm keen for tenants to be given greater powers to hold these bodies to account. You can read the full text of the Queen's speech here. Let me know what you think.
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